We back community leaders and young people to design practical programs, generate clear evidence, and translate insight into policy that lasts.
Denver, Colorado
We put the design of health solutions in the hands of the people who experience inequity firsthand.
TheCHANGEproject advances health equity through community power, building the leadership, media, and policy change needed to dismantle systemic health disparities. Our work is iterative, measurable, and relentlessly human-centered.
We invest in the next generation of health equity leaders: young people who understand inequity firsthand and are ready to build the solutions their communities deserve.
Translating lived experience and evidence into nonpartisan public education and policy action. Young people learn to read a bill, map who actually decides, and put community knowledge in front of the people who can act on it.
Developing young leaders through fellowships, campus chapters, mentorship, and applied learning. TheCHANGE Institute is where the training lives. CHANGE Chapters are where it gets used.
Community-engaged evidence, and honest measurement of whether the work changes anything.
This is our newest pillar and the one we are still building. We would rather say that than imply a research operation we do not yet have.
Where community knowledge gets published: podcasts, video, and writing that make health-equity issues understandable and actionable, with consent and editorial control held by the people whose stories they are.
We track outcomes that matter. Every initiative is backed by data, community wisdom, and measurable progress toward a more equitable future.
Source: TheCHANGEproject program records, maintained by our team.
About our work, our approach, and how to get involved.
TheCHANGEproject is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN 39-3751530) founded in 2020 that advances health equity by building community power. We train young leaders with lived experience, run student chapters, produce media that amplifies community voices, and push for policy change so that health equity is shaped by the people who experience inequity firsthand.
Community-led means the people directly affected by health inequities set the priorities and shape the solutions — a "nothing about us, without us" approach. Our team reflects the communities we serve, we compensate community members for their expertise, decision-making power is shared, and we are accountable to the community first.
Donations directly fund our mission to advance health equity, and are allocated roughly 55% to community health initiatives, 20% to youth leadership development, 15% to evaluation and research, and 10% to administrative operations.
Our on-the-ground programs focus on the Denver metro area, with initiatives extending across Colorado. Our digital storytelling and policy work reach communities nationally, and we partner with others to bring the model to new places.
You can volunteer your skills, start or join a student chapter, partner your organization with us, or donate. Volunteer and partnership inquiries can go to info@thechangeprojectco.org, and you can give a one-time or monthly gift at thechangeprojectco.org/donate.
Whether you’re a young leader, partner organization, or supporter, there’s a way in. Pick the one that fits, or tell us how you’d like to help.
Contribute professional, creative, research, event, or healthcare skills to active initiatives.
Apply to volunteerCHANGE Chapters are where the training gets used, on campus and in your community.
Find a chapterHelp people understand health equity through lived experience, community wins, and lessons learned.
Send a story ideaFund youth-led chapters, community education, storytelling, and policy work.
Give today